Table of Contents
adem
אדמ
'adem' is typically mispelled Adam. The word is used in a perplexing variety of ways with a variety of interpretations, but it is highly likely that these meanings can be reduced to a single root meaning and a couple of fairly obvious metaphors.
Contextual clues do seem to indicate a small number of interpretations ranging from “red”, to “meat”, to “dirt”. However, the etymological evidence supports a more biological inference. ad (“most exceedingly”) + dem (“blood”) yields 'adem' = “much blood”.
Despite this evidence, Strong's concordance inexplicably lists no less than 14 different Strongnumbers for the word. It is highly probable that these ostensibly different meanings actually stem from a single generalized meaning which might adequately represent the contextual intent of all 936 instances of the word. See strong_errors
| Strong Number | Spelling Variation | Ostensible Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 120 | adem | |
| 121 | adem | |
| 122 | adem | red |
| 123 | adem | meat |
| 124 | adem | a red gemstone, possibly ruby or more likely carnelian or sard |
| 125 | ademdem | red |
| 126 | ademeh | |
| 127 | ademeh | dirt (flesh?) |
| 128 | ademeh | |
| 129 | adami | |
| 130 | ademi | Edomite |
| 131 | ademim | (see Josh 15:7, Josh 18:17) |
| 132 | ademeni | red |
| 133 | ademeta |
Interesting Cases
Genesis 36 speaks at length of the “tree (aleh) of kings of adem”, a geneology which also refers to “the land of adem”, possibly “the red land”.
'adom' appears to be some kind of variant of 'adem'. It is used only as a nickname for yeso (Esau). It might mean something to the effect of “red man” or might be some kind of pun. Genesis 25 and 27 appear to make extensive use of punning in two stories about this character.